Mahanadi river system in Odisha to have new barrage: CM Mohan Majhi

A new reservoir and barrage will be constructed in the Mahanadi River system in Odisha, informed Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on Thursday.

In response to a question in the Odisha Assembly, CM Majhi said that survey work for the new project is currently underway.

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“Various information about the new project has been being shared with some central agencies. The concerned chief engineers have also been provided with the necessary maps,” he said.

Meanwhile, Odisha has provided all the required information to the tribunal in connection with the Mahanadi controversy.

Notably, The dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over Mahanadi river water started officially after the Odisha government lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Water Resources on November 19, 2016, under section 3 of the lnter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956. The state government requested the Centre to constitute a tribunal under section 4(1) of the ISRWD Act for adjudication of water disputes.

Subsequently, the Centre constituted a negotiation committee for the settlement of the dispute. However, the committee submitted its report in May 2017 stating that any further meeting would not be fruitful as there had been no participation from Odisha. Accordingly, it was concluded that the dispute cannot be resolved by negotiation.

Following the development, the Centre constituted the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal after a Supreme Court directive in January 2018.